Severance Season 2 Finale is “Mind Blowing, Mysterious, and Important!”

When I first heard about another Apple TV+ show, I wrote it off like all the others. I tried a few of them, but none of them stuck. I bailed on every show I started. I thought the same would happen when I flipped on Severance. How could a show about work, directed by the guy that gave us Zoolander, be remotely good?

Boy, was I wrong. Strap in, because we are about to go down a rabbit hole of spoilers.

Candid Camera Conversations

How often are we at odds with ourselves when it comes to making big decisions? Imagine, instead of wrestling with that voice in your head, you can see it on camera. That’s exactly what we saw at the beginning of this episode. Outtie Mark talking to Innie Mark through recorded conversations in real-time. Amazing.

I was surprised to see that the alliance of Harmony and Devon actually paid off and put Outtie Mark on a path to disrupt Lumon’s plans. I thought for sure there was something more to their motives. Maybe there is more to the story and Outtie Mark played right into their hands? Hard to tell at this point. Hopefully more will be revealed in Season 3.

When Devon said she had someone for Mark to talk to, I thought for sure it was going to be Ricken. What the hell, guys? No Ricken, no bueno.

Decoding Cold Harbor

A lot of theories about the mysterious work of Mark S. and his team were confirmed in this episode. Turns out they were refining Gemma (and maybe others) to be completely new individuals by removing their four tempers.

The completion of the last file, Cold Harbor, severed Gemma completely from her prior self. We see that she has no memory of who she was, and could not recall her most painful experience as an Outtie.

So is the purpose of Lumon to remove humanity from their imperfect life and to be reborn anew, void of any pain? Is this there way of manufacturing ever-lasting life? How does this play into Jame Eagan’s plans? Was he somehow supposed to revolve into Gemma, who became an empty vessel?

Goats, Marching Bands, and Milkshake

After the Cold Harbor file was completed, all kinds of craziness ensued. It would have been nice to see Milchick join in the revolution to help break Gemma free. Unfortunately, he remains a Lumon soldier.

It was nice to see some resolution between Outtie Dylan and Innie Dylan. Somehow that guy always comes to the rescue, even if he doesn’t know why. If you recall, Dylan had no idea why Helly R. had locked Milchick in the bathroom.

Gemma and Mark Create a Question Mark

I found it odd that Gemma was so quick to follow a blood-soaked Mark out of the Cold Harbor room. Maybe this shows that love overcomes all, but there needed to be something more than just Mark pleading with her. Maybe a special touch like brushing back her hair, or something. Some kind of intimate touch that only they shared that would trigger a feeling of love, and break Gemma from her refinement.

Regardless, of this storyline hiccup, I was shocked by Innie Mark’s choice to take control of his own life and leave Gemma on her own. Now Gemma is on the outside and Mark S. is on the inside ready for whatever is to come, hand-in-hand, with Helly R.

Where Does This All Lead?

It’s hard to imagine where all of this leads. I would almost prefer that the series ends here. Although not a clean closure, the ending leaves you wondering what adventures lay ahead. It also harkens back to the idea of the duality of humanity. In this case, Mark’s Innie overcame the desires of his Outtie.

Want more Severance? Check out the most recent podcast I did with my good buddy where we discussed our expectations for this episode. Also, you can listen to our reaction to the finale here.